"Note"

[Troy Parson 0]

::a crumpled note, written in elegant but barely legible cursive, located in a wastebasket somewhere on the ship::

 

Dear Captain,

 

I’m sure that by the time you read this report, you will already have heard more than enough to inform you of the facts with regards to our recent mission, so, in the interests of saving time for all concerned, I shall omit the history lesson and get straight to what you are most likely to want to know.

 

Firstly: I am sure you have read far more than you would like, by this point, about the consequences of my decision to have Shane attempt to subvert the raider ship’s computer network. I will concede that, in this instance, that decision had largely negative consequences; nonetheless, when I consider the information available at the time, and the other possibilities for how the situation could have developed, I find myself forced, with all due respect, to refuse to make any apology for that decision. To tell the truth, I find myself somewhat amazed at the readiness with which some on this crew (in the interests of propriety, I shall decline to name names) would, when faced with the threat of a large vessel with a history of hostility and plenty of motive for a later betrayal, trust in something as insubstantial, as inherently meaningless, as an agreement to ensure their security. It has been my experience that while the loss of a potential friend could deprive one of a future opportunity, failure to recognize the threat of a potential enemy can easily deprive one of all future opportunities. Thus, I must stand by my decision, even if it was not for the best on this occasion.

 

Secondly: I expect the others will have written at least as scathingly about my decision to shuttle from Capricorn to Verbistul, and, thereafter, to commence hostilities against Verbistul with the aim of commandeering her. Indeed, for the deaths of the four Verbistul crew members who were killed on my orders, I am truly sorry. It was an oversight on my part to allow the Nausicaan to open fire without first checking the power setting of his weapon. Nonetheless, on the whole, I would urge you to judge my decisions in light of the information available to me, namely, that Captain Maxwell had proven himself to be the benefiter, and therefore, in all likelihood, an originator of the mass killings on Capricorn; that said Captain had taken charge of the Capricorn; and that our own QoB was missing, and thus assumed to be destroyed. Under these circumstances, hostilities were surely not only justified, but a much better bet than entrusting our lives to the mercy of Maxwell and/or those of his crew who remained on Verbistul. Had I been in Maxwell’s position, it barely needs saying, you would not have had nearly so many reports to read.

 

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly: ::there are a few lines of heavily scratched-out text here::

 

Never mind. In fact, it would probably be best if I spared you the tedium of reading this pathetically whiny, defensive, and pretentious excuse for a report altogether, and simply explained to you in person anything that should still require explanation. Since I am now talking to myself, any further formalities should be quite unnecessary, but, as a creature of habit, I find myself forced to conclude,

 

Yours,

Dr. Troy Parson